Where can I go in SO CAL with a 2.8???

Just joined the forum after weeks of reading several threads (great discussion board).

Well, its safe to say that I made some terrible mistakes in my Junior College, which have had very adverse affects on my cumulative GPA. However, at CSULA I have had an average GPA of about 3.5 for the last two years and I am about to start the LSAT Prep with Kaplan, and hope to get a very good score.

Brutal honesty please: Where can I go? I was hoping for Loyola, but I seriously doubt it. So now I am hoping for SouthWestern or Santa Clara. But I don't know if that's even a realistic shot.

Fyi, I dont want to work at a big firm when i graduate; ultimate goal is to open my own small practice and just enjoy the work that i do--similar to the firm i work at now.

Thanks for any and all advice everyone, it will be greatly appreciated.

Where you're able to go is HIGHLY dependent on your LSAT. If you do well enough, even with a 2.8 you could theoretically get a scholarship at Loyola, or even entry into some better schools. It also depends on what you majored. I'm at UCD and I know a few (I do mean few, so not necessarily sprouting high hopes) people with 2.8's, but they had something around a 166/167 to balance out their GPAs and most of them majored in some form of engineering or sciences.

Just joined the forum after weeks of reading several threads (great discussion board).

Well, its safe to say that I made some terrible mistakes in my Junior College, which have had very adverse affects on my cumulative GPA. However, at CSULA I have had an average GPA of about 3.5 for the last two years and I am about to start the LSAT Prep with Kaplan, and hope to get a very good score.

Brutal honesty please: Where can I go? I was hoping for Loyola, but I seriously doubt it. So now I am hoping for SouthWestern or Santa Clara. But I don't know if that's even a realistic shot.

Fyi, I dont want to work at a big firm when i graduate; ultimate goal is to open my own small practice and just enjoy the work that i do--similar to the firm i work at now.

Thanks for any and all advice everyone, it will be greatly appreciated.

That's really great to hear. I'm looking to take the February LSAT. So I should be shooting for (realistically) 170.

Assuming that I am fortunate enough to actually get a score in that range, should I apply to Tier 2 schools, or only Tier 3? Loyola is a Tier 2 if I'm not mistaken. So it wouldn't be a waste of time to try and apply to Tier 2 schools with a 2.8 and a 166 (hopefully)?

Where you're able to go is HIGHLY dependent on your LSAT. If you do well enough, even with a 2.8 you could theoretically get a scholarship at Loyola, or even entry into some better schools. It also depends on what you majored. I'm at UCD and I know a few (I do mean few, so not necessarily sprouting high hopes) people with 2.8's, but they had something around a 166/167 to balance out their GPAs and most of them majored in some form of engineering or sciences.

Well 170 would be an amazing score to get on the LSAT, but I'm only hoping for now. What if reality hits i only get a 150-155, what are my options then? Does that close doors to the Tier 2 (and even Tier 3) law schools with a 150 LSAT and a 2.8 GPA?

I'm really hoping that I do better than that, but worst case scenario, I want to know if I should freak out, or remain calm and make some moves.

Yeah...a 150 and a 2.8 would pretty much close the door to most, if not all the ABA accredited California law schools (of course, assuming you're not a URM or have any other mitigating factors). The best advice that ANYONE on this board can give you is to just try your best on the LSAT and get the highest score possible. A high LSAT score can get a bad GPA overlooked, but not vice versa..at least not to the extent of the former

Well 170 would be an amazing score to get on the LSAT, but I'm only hoping for now. What if reality hits i only get a 150-155, what are my options then? Does that close doors to the Tier 2 (and even Tier 3) law schools with a 150 LSAT and a 2.8 GPA?

I'm really hoping that I do better than that, but worst case scenario, I want to know if I should freak out, or remain calm and make some moves.

Thanks for the tip, i figured as much. Well i guess that's my only option. Hope i can pull a 165 off (or higher).

It just sucks that my couple of stupid mistakes can really pull down my GPA and misrepresent me academically. But there's no one else to blame but myself. And worse, all the experience i have will be for not, if i dont get into law school.

Yeah...a 150 and a 2.8 would pretty much close the door to most, if not all the ABA accredited California law schools (of course, assuming you're not a URM or have any other mitigating factors). The best advice that ANYONE on this board can give you is to just try your best on the LSAT and get the highest score possible. A high LSAT score can get a bad GPA overlooked, but not vice versa..at least not to the extent of the former

On a side note, should i take the February exam, or wait until June? That way i have about 8 months to prepare for the exam, instead of 4. Reason is that i only plan on taking the exam once. I've been reading the "Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions" and she states that its best to just take the exam once. Very few schools take the higher school, and they usually just average it out. So if i take the Kaplan Prep Class, study my butt off for about 7-8 months, and just give it that one shot, it would be best to take it in June, right?

I had a 2.9 GPA (from 10 years ago, even with 100 more recent credits all 3.5 or better), and a 150 LSAT, applied twice, to a ton of schools, the second time I applied almost exclusively to part-time programs, ended up getting accepted into a bunch of T2’s PT and one T1 off the waitlist. Granted this was four years ago, and I had a good explination for my bad grades and low LSAT, but if you score on the 150-155 range then apply PT. PT admits don’t count against a school for USNEWS ranking purposes, so they look at more than just your scores. However, the better you do on the LSAT the easier it will be to get into law school. Once your there your score does not matter. Good luck on the exam.